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I often times hear how important it is to be a “smart health care consumer.” As college students it can seem like a topic that is not relevant to us, but within the next four years we will be gradating and eventually looking for jobs. You may end up staying in the area or what if you make a huge move and end up in California? Once you graduate you have many decisions to make include one’s about health care. Who will be your doctor? What hospital will you go to in emergencies? If you are new to an area or starting to make health care decisions a great resource to check out is Hospital Compare.

Hospital Compare is a website published by Medicare that aids people in making health care choices. You can compare hospitals based on different categories such as surgery, heart attack, and pneumonia outcomes. The service’s hospitals provide are rated based on these categories: patient survey results, timely and effective care, readmissions, complications, death, and more.

Hospital Compare continues to expand and look at more services provided. It was created through The Hospital Quality Alliance and Medicare, which “was intended to make it easier for consumers to make informed health care decisions”. It is also a great idea to talk to people in the area and their experiences with local doctors and hospitals. Word of mouth can be a great way to find out what facility would suit your medical needs.